


He is a vet!

by JAKishu



Series: Soldier Klaus [6]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Hate, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Loss, Memories, Multi, Vet, Vietnam, serving your country
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26317141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JAKishu/pseuds/JAKishu
Summary: Klaus goes to the bar where a copy of the photo of his unit is displayed. He is not alone.
Relationships: David "Dave" Katz/Other(s), Klaus Hargreeves & Original Male Character(s), Klaus Hargreeves & The Hargreeves
Series: Soldier Klaus [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895047
Comments: 7
Kudos: 157





	He is a vet!

After the emotional day Klaus had, after tears and hope, they had all decided to call it a day. After an early dinner their mom made Bob and Tommy were shown to one of the guestrooms. Who had thought this house had guestrooms. They never had guest, as far as Klaus can remember. Klaus was exhausted and he fall asleep shortly after going to bed but not before he carefully placed Dave´s notebook on his desk. He cares over it with hesitating fingers, afraid to damage the old book but he couldn’t resist to tough it again and again and again. It took Ben´s poking to get him separated and finally into his bed.

The next morning at the breakfast table Bob ask if Klaus would like to go to their favourite bar, getting a drink for the old times. Klaus who hadn’t been drinking or going out since he returned feels a bit nervous but Tommy promised they would return to the academy imminently when Klaus wants to go or even turn around at the next corner when he doesn’t feel up to it. After Diego and Vanya (the only ones of his siblings here today) support the idea and his Mom gives him a kiss on the head for being brave he nods and only a few hours later the three men leave the house behind.

They could have taken the car, Diego even offered to drive but the bar wasn’t that far away and his older friends told him since retirement they enjoy their walks even more. So Klaus walks between the two. The pictures of them walking through the jungle for hours with Bob, … sorry Captain Paddington (no one ever had called him that). Their unit close by, no one would get lost and when they get attacked they could protect each other. Simpler times Klaus would say, not that war was simple. More like you had your orders, everyone had the same orders, you were one little piece in a giant machine called war. Only they don’t tell you that the machine is hungry that it needs bodies to continue. Dave´s body, their other fallen friends died before and after he left. Only the three of them are still here. Two of them had 50 years to work through it all, his pain is fresh that doesn’t mean he can’t see the gun fire in their eyes.

Bob enters the bar first, always the leader. He and Tommy know a few of the people and say their hello, Klaus follows them until he finds the memory wall with their picture. He walks over there, touching the photo, Klaus isn’t sure when he won´t start crying by the face of his lover. Still with a small smile and tears in his eyes he looks at the picture until he feels someone behind him.

Klaus turns around and looks at a slightly drunk and angry looking man. “This bar is for vets only. You have no business here. Get out.” To shocked to even answer Klaus doesn’t fight back as the man packs him at his arm to pull him out. He wants to tell the man that he is a vet, that he served and has the same right as him to be here, to look at Dave´s picture but he can´t.

“Hey!” That it Tommy who had notice what happens first. Always his attention on everyone. “Let go of him.” For his age Tommy was very fast and quickly pulled Klaus out of the man´s tight grip. “What do you think you are doing?” Tommy asks barely holding his anger in. It seems that with the years his hot-headed friend had found some calming methods.

“What do you mean? He has no right to be here. We served out country we gave out blood for it and some child walks in here and pretends to be one of us.” Klaus was most likely wasn’t the first young person walking into that bar but still that was rude.

“He is a vet!” That was Bob, with his Captain Paddington means business voice. Most of the room went silent. You listen to the man when he speaks. “And he is with us. When you don’t want him here for some other reason fine. We can talk about it but he stays. Same rights for everyone who serves for this country. He was a soldier like us. He fought beside his brothers. He protected them, saved their life’s, watched them die and grieved their lost like all of us.” Bob turns to the rest of the room. “If anyone has a problem with that speak up now.”

No one has anything to add to that. Tommy pulls him to a table and the three last survivor of the 173rd Airborne Brigade share a drink.


End file.
